


Black Is The New Black

by cleverquills (wolfwars)



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, Prison AU, i am lazyyyy so this will not be a long thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 16:05:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4143990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfwars/pseuds/cleverquills
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root HAS to go to prison as someone else. Shaw just happens to be there for her own purposes. Of course, when the two of them are together nothing ever goes smoothly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Is The New Black

**Author's Note:**

> AU: where root and shaw aren't a part of team!machine and working together. Root is still a hacker and Shaw's possibly got some of her own things under her sleeve. Hopefully this will be like a chapter or 1-2 at most!!!! anyway, enjoy! I definitely feel like we need more crime aus for shoot. especially mafia and/or prison ones.

She’s had difficult missions before, but there’s something about this one that sits heavy in her chest.

Yet again, maybe that’s because this time her plans involve a full body check and strip search. Root smiles over coyly at the correctional officer when the woman asks her to, ‘Please remove your clothing for the search.’ She puts time into removing her shoes, tights, skirt and blouse and doesn’t let her eyes leave the Correctional Officer’s. The woman, with graying-hair and tiny lens balanced at the tip of her nose, raises an eyebrow. She can imagine the experience of an inmate _not_ being uncomfortable during a full body scan can be pretty unsettling.

“Rosie Franklin?” The lady asks.

“You can call me, Rose.” She says with an embellished wink.

The no-nonsense C.O scowls and then jots something else down on her file. The fingerprints she’s hacked into the system clearly have _passed_ and she would be relieved but the tricky part of her plans isn’t the being admitted part. It’s escaping. 

Root bends down and her earlier bravado is admittedly subdued. She coughs and she’s glad the woman can’t see the discomfort on her face as she's checked for drugs and weapons.

When she was younger, life in a jail cell wasn’t unimaginable to her. She remembers the first time she was caught stealing. The rage in her Mother’s voice as it echoed across the wooden paneling of her ridiculously pink bedroom and it sounds now like the clanging of the metal doors that keep swinging open and closed within the prison. _What do you think you’re doing Samantha? Are you just trying to ruin your life?_ _I didn’t raise you to become a worthless criminal._ It was a familiar tirade that balanced carefully between verses of the bible and enraged speeches that somehow she heard but never did the words ever truly pierce her. Or change her. Root’s always been a ‘delinquent’ her whole life. She’s just always been particularly good about not getting caught. Before the shoplifting, she was already acting out. And her response to any speech? _But Mom, you told me to do what I’m good at._  

The metal detectors beeped loudly as she was escorted through them. So she's forced to remove her phone, a fake set of keys to a car she doesn't own, her beloved Taser (when she pulls it out, the guards give her a dirty look) and a broken wristwatch. More doors and she’s now where she’s planned to be. In Room B. Two more guards appear and Root takes note of the names on their badges and what weapons they are carrying. Tasers and probably mace spray. She pines a little for her own Taser. 

“Inmate. You will stay in this room,” The C.O. props open the door and Root sees a cell full of unfriendly faces. The beds are positively disgusting, a single toilet, a set of blankets. The funny thing is Root has seen and slept in worse conditions. She could almost laugh. 

“All for little old me?” She croons.

The C.O. jabs at her chest, “You’re trouble, aren’t you, Franklin?”

She nods but pretends to be abashed by the accusation.

“Only as much trouble as I’m worth.”

 

Rose Franklin has a Southern drawl. Root is lucky she still knows how to pick up the accents from her youth. She’d never really had one but her Mother did. Almost an homage to her past. But also, sometimes aligning yourselves with a certain place was good at making friends and allies. Like is drawn to like. She pretends not to notice but covertly she scans over her new roommates. It’ll take time to appraise their threat level but Root is sure they won’t be any more difficult to crack than an unlocked iPhone.

She beams, interested yet politely at them.

The C.O. ignores her words and then shows her the bed she’ll be assigned, “Be here for bed checks. And then we’ll lock down and you go to sleep.” The woman told her sternly. Root nodded.

“The rest of you,” The C.O. turned towards the other ladies, “You keep it under control or I’ll be back.”

“Sure, officer.” 

The voice came from seemingly nowhere. Root turned her head quickly. She wasn’t sure what she expected. Maybe it was because she hadn’t seen the woman before, who she only now noticed creeping out of some dark corner of her top bunk. Already someone who was bafflingly stealthy… and it set off some alarm bells in Root’s head.

She also noticed that the woman was sporting a seriously busted black eye that roped in marvelous blue and red loops around her upper cheek (Root bit her bottom lip as she looked.) 

“Shut up, Shaw.” The C.O officer said, helpfully identifying her other roommate.

“Make me.” The woman gritted out. 

The air got tense as the two stared at each other in silence. The C.O.’s fingers lingering on her Taser momentarily before deciding, the short, muscular woman named “Shaw” wasn’t worth her time and turning around.

“Try not to get killed, fresh meat.” The officer said in equal parts warning and threat to Root. Root stepped forward to wrap her hands around the bars and stared at the guard as she left.

Yet, she had other threats to see to. So Root turned back around, trying to keep herself from pacing or from covering her nose. There was a horrible stench in one of the beds and it was best not to look too closely into that. Her plan was to be here for a week (at most.) And to use that time to get close to her mark. Once that was through, it was onto the ‘breakout’ and Root was already getting eager to put her ‘jailbird’ life behind her. Well, at least, _partly_.

In the room: one woman slept peacefully on her cot. She was older, with dark rimmed eyes from a few nights without sleep possibly and wasn’t in the best health-looking condition as far as Root could tell. And Root could tell sick. She could identify sickness from a thousand yards away. 

She turned her eyes to woman 2. Very big and strong and probably best to leave her alone. The woman grunted then looped her big hands through the knitting yarn in-between her fingers. Needles were not allowed within the prison so she did every loop with her long fingernails. 

Root cannot tell what the woman is trying to make but she knows better than to ask. It could be a sock gone wrong, it could be a very poorly constructed shiv for all she knows. 

So, then, her eyes sweep back to roommate #3.

Except Shaw sees that she is watching and her eyes meet Root’s. _It’s sensational_. Root’s lips twitch up into an almost-smile as she watches. She should look away, that’s the rational thing to do… 

Shaw’s strong-looking arms are decked out in black tattoos: swirls of spider webs and a dog, a car, something with the word ‘Marines’ on it, knives and more other worldly, ink-drawn images. She already knows the meaning of a few of them and Root’s spent enough time with hit men to know the marks of one when she sees them. Root’s eyes close for a second and she imagines running her arms along the skin. Feeling the designs underneath the tips. She looks down at the woman’s combat boots (prison assigned) and sees they are methodically tied. Standard military procedure.

“ _Hey_.” Shaw’s voice comes out hotly, no effort in trying to hide her growing anger. She crossed her arms. Clearly done with the free show. “ _Do you got a problem?_ ” Inmate roommate number 2 looks up from her knitting, suddenly excited for the opportunity of new blood being spilt.

“Just admiring the artwork.” Root says back.

“My tattoos?” Shaw looks even more annoyed.

“ _No.”_ Root’s lips go from half-smile to a full smirk. The look she gets in response is almost enough to make her worry…maybe she’s gone too far and so soon? But she’s always been weak for attractive women (so weak). Root will just have to reconfigure her plans to include a bloody lip. And it’s only the first day here. 

The girl looks extremely offended but also surprised by her come-on. _Oh, surely a pretty girl like you must be used to it_ … Root thinks. The angry-tension of Shaw’s shoulders releases and she hopes that (for now) she is safe. Hand-to-hand combat has never really been Root’s thing and that leaves her at a disadvantage in prison.

“If you wanna get lucky maybe you should try Berta on the cell over.” Shaw points over across the hallway but Root only bothers with a peek. When she looks back, the woman with the tattoos and black eye is laughing at her own insult. Knitting woman only looks vaguely interested in them now. Mostly disappointed. Her hands push into more thread.

“Is that how **_you_** got **_your_** black eye?”

Shaw huffs in response but then she climbs up to her cot. The woman is fast and as graceful as a cat, as far as Root can tell. And her eyes follow but she knows this is only a mere distraction. There’s no time to waste on some hit man. Bed checks are in five so she’ll have to wait until morning, in the yard, to meet with her Intel person. 

And they’ll have to be discreet.

Her assigned bed is the bunk underneath her new “friend’s”. Root lays down. She won’t be sleeping tonight. She doesn’t want to put her guard down. Not here, while she’s completely disarmed and in a room full of complete strangers.

So she waits for bed check.

 

~~~~~~

  

In the morning, Shaw surprises her by cornering her into a wall. Her arms on either side of Root’s head. The movements do throw her off, as she's whirled from one place to the other and can't help but feel on edge and confused. But she can't let her upper hand go, so instead of letting some snappy comment escape her lips, she raises an eyebrow, mischievously. Whatever new fun she’s about to be allowed in on Root can’t wait. 

(Too bad she also has places to be.)

“You.”

“Me,” Root agrees. Her eyes skim down Shaw’s body which the hitwoman has placed right in front of her. The jumpsuit is open and she sees a black tank underneath. She licks her lips. 

“I’ve been thinking…” Shaw starts, blatantly ignoring all ludeness from her new cellmate, “And I’m ready to strike you a deal.” 

“ _I love deals_.”

“Good.” Shaw looks around nervously. No one watches them or even cares to. “I see that you are kind of small… and maybe you’re some secret black belt or something but I don’t think so.” 

“You really know how to flatter a girl, sweetie.” 

Shaw’s eyebrows perk up at that. She looks genuinely offended. Again.

“ _Sweetie_?”

Root just nods.

“Anyway,” Shaw says, face red, “I could do you a favor and protect you and stuff.”

Root feels a little tingling of affection growing for this strange, dangerous yet-socially awkward stranger. She hides a smile behind her hand as she listens. 

“Who am I to reject an offer like that?” Root asks, her fake accent drawing out the words. 

“Well. I’ll do it. But it’s in exchange for one of your meals. _Everyday_.” Shaw finishes her offer and the look on her face is already dubious. Like she doesn’t expect Root to take it. 

“Perfect.” Root says. 

Shaw’s shocked expression only grows, “Really?” 

“Except,” And here’s the hook. Root leans into the woman’s space. Shaw thinks she’s being intimidating but Root would be lying if she said she wasn’t loving having the woman so near. Her eyes moved back to the black eye and she reached out to brush it with her fingers. 

Shaw moved back and flinched from her touch. 

“You don’t seem very good at protecting yourself.” Root pointed out. 

Shaw sighed. 

“Look, this is a once in a lifetime kind of deal, genius. If you want it. Take it.” 

She’s right about the genius thing.

“I do want it,” Root looks at her meaningfully again. “And I’ll take it.” 

Shaw nods then steps back, “Good because breakfast is getting cold.” 

She steps out the gate then stops and turns around to see if Root is following. When Root doesn’t, the inmate gets inpatient and comes over to make her move.

 

Root chuckles in her ear.


End file.
